State Senator Daphne Campbell on Thursday issued the following statement:

“The tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School deeply trouble me. The time for a “having a conversation” is now. We must take substantive action to ensure that acts of violence like this never happen again. I call on Governor Scott and my colleagues in the House and Senate to support legislation banning the sale of assault weapons (SB 196/H219 in our state.

“Mass shooting like: Aurora, Sandy Hook, Pulse, Las Vegas and Sutherland TX all have one thing in common and that an assault weapon was used to kill a large number of innocent citizens in a short period of time. It baffles me that a teenager in our state can walk into a gun store and purchase a machine of death without a mental evaluation, or a waiting period, before walking out of the store with a gun.

“How many Floridians must die before we take action? Now must be different, now is the time that we must buck the gun lobby and enact common sense solutions that will protect our children, our cities, and our state. No Floridian should be able to possess a weapon that was developed for use on a battlefield.

“Let’s end these senseless killing in our state, let’s make Florida a safer place for our children and neighbors. We have the power to make a difference. Let’s start now.”